For nearly two decades, Kay Bailey Hutchison and her husband Ray worked 1,200 miles apart — she in Washington, D.C., as a U.S. senator and he as a municipal bond lawyer in Dallas.

Starting this week, the distance between their Dallas offices can be measured in feet instead of miles.

Former Sen. Hutchison, who last month retired from the Senate after more than 19 years, is becoming a senior counsel at the national law firm Bracewell & Giuliani, where she will advise clients in banking, energy, telecommunications and transportation.

“As I was thinking about what I’ve wanted to do, I decided I wanted an association with a law firm and Bracewell is the perfect fit,” Hutchison said in an interview Tuesday.

“Bracewell is a large firm but it has a small-firm culture that I really like, and it’s very entrepreneurial,” she said. “I wanted a Texas-based law firm with a significant Washington, D.C., practice because my expertise is in the federal regulatory area.”

Bracewell managing partner Mark Evans said the firm’s decision to pursue Hutchison “came together very quickly.”

‘Freelance a bit’

Evans, who works in the firm’s Houston office, introduced Hutchison Monday morning during his weekly conference call with all 470 Bracewell lawyers in its 10 offices.

Instead of being assigned to a specific practice area, he said the former senator will “freelance a bit,” working with lawyers in several practice areas, including the firm’s policy resolution group, energy and banking.

“Many of the issues she’s worked on over the years impact so many of our clients,” Evans said. “She knows so many top business leaders and she knows the top decision makers in all 254 counties in Texas, which could be very helpful to our current clients.”

Landing Hutchison is viewed by nearly all legal observers as a coup for Houston-based Bracewell. As a U.S. senator, she built extensive contacts with high-ranking executives at scores of large Texas corporations. All of them are much-sought-after clients for Bracewell and its competitors, according to legal insiders.

“Initially, bringing former Senator Hutchison aboard will place the spotlight squarely on the firm in a mostly positive light,” said Mike Androvett of Androvett Legal Media.

“Then the hard work follows in orienting a former U.S. senator to the art of client service and client relations. And the firm must make a case to its clients and prospective clients that the lawyer Hutchison provides value they can’t find anywhere else,” said Androvett, a lawyer and media adviser.

A 1967 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, Hutchison served in the Texas Legislature from 1972 to 1976. She also served as vice president and general counsel at Republic Bank before she was elected to the Senate in 1993.

Hutchison said she has known many Bracewell lawyers over the years. She and firm chairman Patrick Oxford carpooled when they attended UT together. Oxford later served as the senator’s campaign manager in several of her election efforts.

And, of course, she has gotten to know additional Bracewell lawyers since her husband joined the firm about a year ago.

Ray Hutchison is widely regarded as one of the nation’s premier public finance and municipal bond lawyers, having handled the legal work involving the creation and development of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Cowboys Stadium, the Ballpark in Arlington and American Airlines Center.

Evans said the Hutchisons are the third husband and wife lawyer team at the firm.

“A few years ago, we had a no-nepotism policy, but we realized we were losing a lot of very good people, so we got rid of it,” he said.

Former Sen. Hutchison said she will not be arguing cases in court. Neither will she be doing any political lobbying.

Advising clients

“I don’t want to directly talk with my former Senate colleagues [about client matters],” she said. “I want to focus on advising clients on the regulatory process, legislative attitudes and the likelihood of government action.

“I will not be lobbying,” she said.

Beto Cardenas, a counsel at Vinson & Elkins and former general counsel for Hutchison, said the former senator will be a great role model for the firm’s younger partners and associates.

“As her general counsel, she challenged me to think, question and find solutions. She made me a better lawyer,” Cardenas said. “For Kay, quality is never compromised because quite frankly, a second-best work product isn’t good enough for anyone.”

Kelly Noblin of Newhouse Noblin, a Texas legal headhunting firm, said the addition of Hutchison will help Bracewell externally and internally.

“She brings her considerable contacts and boundless energy to the firm,” Noblin said. “Likewise, Bracewell’s attorneys have the legal expertise and personal integrity to turn those contacts into loyal clients. This appears to be a very smart collaboration and one that will likely accelerate Bracewell’s stature as a significant player in the lateral partner market.”

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